How To Make an Authentic French Charcuterie Board June 21 2022

So, you’re looking to make a French Charcuterie board. Maybe you’re looking to impress some friends, or maybe you’re looking to explore the tastes of France and get a little bite of what France is like. Regardless, it should be noted, for many Australians an Authentic French Charcuterie board can look intimidating, and not as accessible as your standard gouda and prosciutto. That’s why we’ve created this guide which outlines the Do’s, Do nots and intricacies of the French Charcuterie Board.

Picking your Cheeses 

Possibly the most important part of any charcuterie board is cheese and that’s why we’re going to go through that first. Believe it or not, your cheese does not need to be exclusively French to make a French Charcuterie board, remember that France is extremely close to Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands and any Supermarket or Épicerie in France will include cheeses from these regions for that reason. However, there are some French Essentials you must include.

Brie

Picking out your Brie can be difficult if you don’t frequent the cheese Isle, because there is such a range of funk that this cheese can encapsulate. We recommend if you’re looking to get into buying your first Brie, then ask around, Brie is almost everyone’s favourite and if you ask people which Brie to go for based on how much funk you want. You will most definitely find a cheese suited to your taste.

Blue Cheese

The most intimidating of the cheeses, blue can be quite a dividing cheese for most people. For some it’s exactly what they want when they think of a cheeseboard, for others it can be very unpalatable, regardless it is an essential for the colour and flavour diversity it offers to a board. Blue in colour and sharp & salty in it’s flavour, if you have a delicate palate we recommend serving lots of accompaniments with this cheese. 

A Pressed Cheese

Pressed cheeses may not be the most exquisite cheese, but they still deserve a spot on the board. You can really choose anything for your pressed cheese, whether that’s a Dutch Gouda or an italian Parmesan, it’s really more about including a variety of the cheeses on your board, and in case you’re not a fan of your Brie or Blue cheese, we recommend you choose a cheese you like and are familiar with for your pressed cheese so that you have a sort of a safety cheese.

How to Pick Out Meats for your Charcuterie Board 

Salami

Picking out your salami is always a challenging prospect, you can’t know how spicy it’s really going to be before you pick it out, unless someone tells you, it’s for this reason we always recommend going to a delicatessen butcher or speciality food store. Not only will the products be better quality, the service will help you pick out a better spread for your taste. If you want to include a seriously tasty and authentic salami, we tracked down the best classic style French salami made in Australia.

Jambon (Ham)

There’s a range of hams you can go for, a simple honey ham cut that would go in a toasty, or the most glorious and salty prosciutto. You can even put both on the board, who’s stopping you.

Foie Gras and other Necessary Accompaniments 

Foie Gras

It’s absolutely necessary to include some bloc du foie gras in your spread. One of

the things that separates a French charcuterie board from your standard boring charcuterie are the spreads, jams, fruits and vegetables. It just so happens that foie gras is the quintessential charcuterie board accompaniment. If you’ve never tried Foie Gras, good news, we sell it on our store! 

Fruits and Vegetables

Here’s a list of our favourite fruits and vegetables worth a place on any charcuterie board:

• Grapes
• Cornichons
• Strawberries
• Raisins
• Fig
• Citrus, such as oranges or even Australian Finger Limes

Dips and Spreads

There are 3 Dips and spreads necessary to an authentic French Charcuterie board. Firstly, a Terrine, I recommend Country terrine, just because it switches things up if you’re getting a Duck or Goose Rillette. The next necessary spread is: you guessed it a Rillette. Lastly to go with all these fatty flavours, we recommend that your board has a Fig Chutney.

Bringing it all together! The Carb!

You’ve probably been preparing your charcuterie boards up until now with crackers and maybe pretzels perhaps. Well, there’s a major change coming your way here, the only necessary carb in a french Charcuterie board is a Baguette, who would’ve guessed. Don’t get me wrong, you can use grissini, crackers, pretzels pikelets or whatever your heart desires on a charcuterie board, as long as we’re clear, you need a baguette there!

Not Satisfied?

For more ideas of what you can put on your next (or maybe even first) charcuterie board, you could have a look through our online storefront and find Inspiration. Or if you’re a french food fanatic, you could look through the rest of our blog to get inspired!